Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics Expert MLB Picks 6/23/2019

Sunday, June 23, 2019
Oakland Coliseum
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Ryan Yarbrough vs. Brett Anderson
Marcus Semien and the Oakland Athletics (40-37, 3rd in AL West) play the Tampa Bay Rays (44-32, 2nd in AL East) at Oakland Coliseum on Sunday, June 23, 2019. The Rays open this matchup at -115 while the Athletics are priced at +105. The O/U opens at 9.5.
The Rays have been a very good choice for baseball wagerers, having gone 44-32-0 SU. The Athletics cover 51.9% of the time, going 40-37-0 straight up. The Rays have been awful for Vegas oddsmakers as favorites, going 35-26-0 SU. Oakland is covering 43.3% of the time as an underdog, having gone 13-17-0 straight up.
Valuable Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends
The Rays have been an awful Over option for O/U baseball bettors, having gone 31-40-5.
Tampa Bay is covering 63.2% of the time as a visitor, having gone 24-14-0 straight up.
Important Oakland Athletics Betting Trends
The Athletics cover 59.0% of the time at Oakland Coliseum, going 23-16-0 SU.
The Athletics have been a solid Under option for O/U baseball bettors, having gone 38-39-0.
Related: Launch Angle Stat: Advice for MLB Handicapping and Betting
Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries
6/21/2019 Anthony Bemboom C Knee Expected to be out until at least Jun 28
6/19/2019 Yandy Diaz 3B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jun 27
6/19/2019 Leon Jose De Leon SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jun 24
6/13/2019 Christian Arroyo 3B Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jun 23
6/11/2019 Tyler Glasnow SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
5/30/2019 Matt Duffy 3B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jul 15
4/23/2019 Anthony Banda SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
4/2/2019 Jose Mujica SP Elbow Out for the season
Key Oakland Athletics Injuries
6/20/2019 Chris Herrmann C Knee Expected to be out until at least Jun 23
6/18/2019 Marco Estrada SP Back Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
6/18/2019 Nick Hundley C Knee Expected to be out until at least Aug 5
6/16/2019 Sean Manaea SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 20
6/10/2019 Jharel Cotton RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
5/15/2019 Daniel Gossett RP Elbow Out for the season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Rays have a 44-32 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Ryan Yarbrough has a 5-3 record with an earned run average of 5.26 and a WHIP of 1.03 this season. He has 36 strikeouts over his 51.1 innings pitched and he's given up 44 hits. He's allowed 7.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.1. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.63 and they have given up 304 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the bullpen and they've struck out 336 hitters and walked 129 batters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 7.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.22. The Rays pitchers collectively have given up 560 base hits and 245 earned runs. They have allowed 72 home runs this season, ranking them 30th in the league. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 226 batters and struck out 716. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.15 and their FIP as a unit is 3.55.
Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team Tampa Bay is hitting .257, good for 11th in the league. The Rays hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.9 hits per game. Brandon Lowe is hitting .283 with an on-base percentage of .339. He has 71 hits this season in 251 at bats with 46 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .538 and an OPS+ of 131. Austin Meadows is hitting .302 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .375. He has totaled 67 hits and he has driven in 38 men in 222 at bats. His OPS+ is 143 while his slugging percentage is at .545. The Rays have 676 hits, including 133 doubles and 95 home runs. Tampa Bay has walked 253 times so far this season and they have struck out 717 times as a unit. They have left 551 men on base and have a team OPS of .759. They score 4.59 runs per contest and have scored a total of 349 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Oakland has a 40-37 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.68, Brett Anderson has a 7-4 record and a 1.32 WHIP. He has 45 strikeouts over the 85.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 84 hits. He's allowing 8.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.49. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.39 and they have given up 262 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .241 against the Athletics bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 282 batters and walked 120 opposing hitters. As a team, Oakland allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.2. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 638 base knocks and 329 earned runs this season. They have given up 89 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Oakland as a staff has walked 261 hitters and struck out 616 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.27 while their FIP as a staff is 4.31.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .248, good for 18th in the league. The Athletics hold a .441 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321, which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Marcus Semien comes into this matchup batting .277 with an OBP of .361. He has 87 hits this year along with 38 RBI in 314 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .439 with an OPS+ of 118. Matt Chapman is hitting .265 this season and he has an OBP of .351. He has collected 77 hits in 291 at bats while driving in 41 runs. He has an OPS+ of 134 and a slugging percentage of .519. The Athletics as a unit have 670 base hits, including 141 doubles and 120 homers. Oakland has walked 260 times this year and they have struck out on 603 occasions. They have had 520 men left on base and have an OPS of .762. They have scored 5.04 runs per game and totaled 393 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Rays/Athletics MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Athletics +105
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Read more articles by Josh Schonwald
Get all of Today's Free MLB Picks
Get all of Today's Expert MLB Picks